Routine in the Womb.

Our Routine in the Womb Campaign will launch at The Baby Show Olympia!

Are you pregnant over 24 weeks? Do you know your baby’s movement routine in the womb? You should, and here’s why……

Knowing your baby’s routine whilst in the womb is the best way to know that your pregnancy is progressing the way it should.

Until now, counting the kicks has been the recommended way for mums to know their pregnancy is progressing. However, I identified that many mums were worrying unnecessarily and causing themselves stress when for a few hours their baby wouldn’t seem to move and so headed off to their midwives to be monitored. Almost all the time, once poked and prodded and put on a monitor baby would respond and move. The reason for their stillness? They were merely ‘sleeping’ or resting.

So why the importance of ‘Routine in the Womb?’ Well, baby in the womb will develop their own routine, sometimes very active and sometimes very still or sleeping and so will not have ‘regular movement throughout the day’ but will actually have bouts of intense movement and times of quiet – their own daily routine. It is this that you need to learn and know and by knowing you can be reassured all is progressing, a fact reiterated to me by a midwife on a recent rip to the assessment unit with a pregnant friend – no more counting the kicks!

However, your baby’s routine in the womb and their development, particularly brain development, can also be affected by the cortisol you produce when you are stressed. Links have been made from increased cortisol/stress levels to increased risks of mental health concerns for your baby when born, premature birth, stillbirth and even neonatal death. Critically, our campaign will show you how you can work to combat that stress and therefore lesson the risks to your unborn baby.

From the NHS.UK website…

Do I need to keep track of the kicking?

It is recommended that from 24 weeks of pregnancy that you become familiar with your baby’s typical daily pattern of movements.

It is important for you to know the amount of movement that is normal for your baby. A change in the level of activity of your baby, either reduced or excessively active, may indicate a problem is developing and should be reported to your midwife/doctor.

As always, my ethos is ‘do what is best for you’ so if you want to count the kicks then you do so, I would just suggest that you also know your baby’s ‘routine in the womb!’

Join our #RoutineintheWomb campaign by following our Facebook page where we already have over 10,000 followers and you will also find more information on how you can nurture your baby’s routine in the womb to be a routine to follow from the moment they are born…..